CHAPTER TEN
Summary: Hermione is running. She is running from rogue Death Eaters bent on revenge, the fame that surrounds her after the war and an overbearing ex-boyfriend and his mother, insisting that they marry, regardless of her ex being a cheating weasel. She finds a quiet town in the States and meets a handsome young man, one that gives her a new outlook on life and a new love. The kind of love she had craved.
Disclaimer: I do not own canon events and characters, they belong to J.K Rowling and Stepenie Myers. I am not making a profit from writing and posting this fanfic. As for the descriptions of appearances for the Twilight characters, all my research is based on the books and not the movies.
Friday 2nd June 2006
Seth woke to find that once again, Hermione had slept peacefully, she had moved slightly in her sleep, she was practically draped over him and clinging to him in every way possible. A small smile was on her face, he noticed that the bruises under her eyes didn't appear to be as dark and there was no blood, thankfully.
He noticed the clock and saw that it was once again not long till seven o'clock. He sighed, he had to get home so that he could get ready for school. As much as he didn't want to, he shifted out of the hold Hermione had on him and climbed out of bed. He kissed her forehead and his breath was knocked out of him when he pulled away.
"Seth," Hermione sighed in her sleep, her hand reached out towards him. "Don't leave me," she mumbled. Was it possible to die from loving someone so much?
A large, goofy grin lit his face and he couldn't wipe it off if he tried. He bent down and kissed her forehead one last time, before quickly removing his clothing and shifting, running home in wolf form as now was routine.
He showered and dressed before grabbing some food, picking up his back pack and then he left the house, a skip in his step, the idiotic grin still on his face as he whistled.
The pack -except Leah, Brady and Collin- were all waiting outside for him, when they noticed him emerge and his expression, some of them smirked and the others out right laughed at him, it didn't deter him, he had never been so happy.
"I take it she took it well," Jacob spoke with a smirk.
"Very well," Seth nodded like a bobble-head and they sniggered.
"Really, she didn't faint?" Jared asked surprised. "Kim did."
"And Emily," Sam agreed.
"No, I didn't even have to explain it to her, she said they have something similar in her world, except they call it mates rather than imprints, I think she understands the imprinting process better than I do at this point," he confessed. "She told me about this friend she had, a werewolf, he had a mate and they both fought alongside her. They had to marry in secret because there are laws preventing werewolves from marrying or having basic human rights. They had a baby three weeks before the war ended, they both fought."
"What happened to them?" Jared asked.
"They died, the child's in the care of the Grandmother," he said with a frown and they all looked troubled at the news.
"What had you so smiley?" Embry changed the subject.
"Aside from the fact that she didn't freak out that I've attached myself to her for the rest of my life and I couldn't survive without her?" they snorted at him. "She didn't hurt me for staying with her at night without her knowledge," he shrugged. "She's dreams about me."
"Yeah?" Paul wiggled his eyebrows and Seth scowled.
"Not like that, she told me since meeting us, the first night I stayed with her, she dreams of me. She relives the memories of the war, she didn't tell me what they were specifically but when I get there after patrols, I replace the memories and she dreams of me, she said I keep them away, I stop them from hurting her," they all frowned. "She has to take a nap during the day and she has to eat three times more than she used to, otherwise she could fall into a coma, it's a side effect from the war. When she dreams when she's napping, she dreams of a wolf, me in my wolf form particularly. That's why she was awake, she knew I was there, that I was the one staying with her and she wanted to see if I was real or just something her imagination conjured up. She knew it was me too, she asked me to change back and when I did she recognised me straight away, not only from her dreams but from the beach that day we met her, she didn't even seem surprised that I was the wolf and not one of you," they all looked at him thoughtfully.
"That's strange, her knowing your identity as a specific wolf before she had even seen it herself, it's even stranger that she dreams of you," Sam spoke. "Emily's never dreamed of me before."
"Kim's never dreamed of me either," Jared nodded.
"Maybe it's a witch thing," Quil offered, they all shrugged.
"So she's alright with you?" Jacob asked again.
"She's was upset, not at me though, at herself."
"Why?"
"She said she was sorry that I was stuck with her," he scowled. "She was sorry that I had to put up with her past, her 'baggage' she called it," they all snorted. "My response exactly," he sighed. "We talked for a little while before she fell asleep, she never even twitched, she looks healthier too."
"Did you finally ask her why she moved here then? It's been bothering you for a while now," Embry asked.
A look of anger took over his features and they flinched in shock.
"Yes, her friend Ron, they dated after the war for nine months," he spoke coldly.
"What did he do? Break up with her? If he did, it's his loss, she's hot," Paul shrugged.
"No. He didn't break up with her, he sold stories on their relationship to the press," they were surprised by that news. "Articles started appearing in the newspapers and magazines of him with other girls dancing and drinking, she confronted him but he denied everything and she believed him, then he didn't turn up to her graduation ceremony, she lived with him and his family, she went looking for him when she got home. She found him having sex with his ex-girlfriend," he snarled and they stared in shock. "That's not it either, the best part is he had been sleeping with her for seven months and he's gotten her pregnant," they spluttered. "And, when Hermione caught him he pulled his pants up from around his ankles, pulled out a ring and proposed to her," he snarled and he started pacing. "She had literally just caught him and he proposed to her," he hit one of the wooden posts on the railing of the porch and it splintered in half. "She moved out and in with those twins she got a letter from. She didn't stay long before she moved here. She's hiding from him and his mother, they keep sending her letters saying that they're still getting married and they need to plan the wedding."
"Well, shit!" Paul spoke. "No wonder, she hates him."
"If he finds her, if he comes here for her I'm going to kill him for what he did to her," Seth promised, his entire face set in anger, his hands clenched and he started shaking.
"I'm not sure she'll appreciate that, besides, if he finds her, I'm sure she has some magic up her sleeve waiting for him," Jared commented, Seth stopped shaking and he snorted.
"Not just her, the twins she lived with, she told me they've been getting revenge on Ron for her, regardless of the fact he's their little brother. They turned him into a human-donkey hybrid and he's apparently terrified of spiders."
"And?" Embry asked.
Seth barked a laugh. "They snuck into his office at work and used magic to spell everything in the room, when he set foot in his office everything in there changed into spiders and they targeted him, apparently her friend Harry said it was the funniest thing he had ever seen, Ron was running down the corridors being chased by spiders, and, it ended up front page news," they stared before they started laughing.
"That's brilliant," Jared commented. "Remind me to never piss that imprint of yours off, if she has people like that to enact revenge on her behalf, I don't think I want to meet them."
"Agreed," the pack nodded.
"Right, off to school."
Later than night, after Seth had finished patrols he headed to Hermione's tent, he was surprised that he didn't hear her screaming, instead he heard a rustling, like the sound a book made when turning the pages. He entered the tent in wolf form and made his way to Hermione's room, the door was left open and when he entered, Hermione was laid on the bed on her stomach, her legs were crossed and swaying back and forth in the air as she read a book and absentmindedly twirled a curl around her finger.
She was wearing pink silk shorts and the matching long sleeved button up shirt. Not only did it make her ivory skin look flawless, he could see her seemingly never ending legs. She was a sight to behold and he found himself taking the sight in with a dry mouth as he committed the sight to memory.
'Fucking hell, Seth,' he heard Paul groan through the mind link. 'Why did it always have to be Paul patrolling after him?' He thought annoyed. 'Is she trying to give me a heart attack? Are you sure she's your imprint?'
'You are getting nowhere near her,' he snarled.
'Paul, leave him alone.'
'Come on, Embry, you're telling me that you're not affected by her, I mean look at her, she outstrips the girls at school by miles.'
'Yes, she does,' Seth growled in warning. 'But she is Seth's girl, you're being disrespectful.'
'Calm down, I was only stating that she's hot.'
'We get it, you want to sleep with her, but she's Seth's, back off!'
Seth's attention was brought away from the mind link when he heard a chuckle and he looked up to see Hermione smiling at him with a soft smile on her face and her eyes sparkling.
'But just look at her, God!' Paul groaned.
'You touch her and I'll kill you,' Seth snarled before turning his attention back to Hermione. Without thought he jumped up onto her bed and laid down next to her, his body flush against hers in a need to be close to her.
"Hey," she grinned, turning her attention back to her book, he rested his head on his paws and happily watched her as she continued reading.
Due to his closeness to her he was also able to read the words on the page and he took everything in amazed and horrified, the type of things he was reading were worrying, the pages listed explanations of what he guessed were spells, how to cast them, the effects they would have on a person and there were images for some of them to show how they injured.
He nudged her with his nose and she turned to him, her eyes questioning, but she quickly understood what he wanted.
"This is a book about the dark arts, illegal magic, which also means this book is illegal, so don't tell anyone I have it, I don't fancy being fined or arrested," she chuckled. "I am researching, there are eleven Death Eaters left and unfortunately, they are the worst of them, members of the inner circle, meaning they were high rankers in the eyes of Voldemort. They were all older, more experienced and they each had a certain talent for torture, killing, mind control, dark curses and other things like that. They are the most dangerous and they will know dark magic that I've never come across before and so I have to be prepared. If I can recognise a spell being sent my way, by either the wand movements, the incantation or the colour of light that leaves the wand, I have a better chance of using the appropriate defence and surviving. If I know the effects of a dark curse, then I know how to reverse it."
It made sense to him, better to know what you were up against and how to defend against it.
"I, of course, would never resort to this kind of magic, it's horrific, people that use this type of magic give the rest of us a bad name, it's because of people like them that we have to stay hidden, it's because of people like them that we're hidden in the first place, if they had never turned to the dark side, The Salem Witch Trials would've never happened, and who knows what the world would be like now?" she shrugged. "I use grey magic at best, it's painful and not nice but I've studied it and I know how and when to use it when the situation calls for it. I know how to reverse all the effects of the spells I use, otherwise I would never cast something I wasn't confident in having the ability to heal. Grey magic is a little dodgy, it is considered neither light nor dark, it's just exists, in the middle. It can kill but only if it's not healed, and that's why it's not considered dark magic. The amount of dark spells and curses that I know scares me," she admitted, before turning back to her book.
"Like this one for instance, Hiatus," she looked at him, "this is a dark curse, it loosely translates to gaping hole. If hit it will open up a wound on your stomach, it will slowly get bigger and bigger, until your internal organs have been incinerated and it eats you up from the inside out," he looked horrified. "It takes twelve hours for it to kill you and there is no cure for it, if hit with it you die, there is nothing that can be done and the final twelve hours of your life are nothing but pain filled. And this one, Et Viscera Corporis, this curse slices you open and your internal organs, mainly intestines are pulled out of your body by an invisible force. There is a lot of dark magic in the world, but there's also good magic too, magic that's incredible, that's fills you with awe when you see it, and that's the reason I fought in the war, not only to protect the lives of innocents and to prevent genocide, but to protect good magic," she then shifted on the bed, closed the book and put it on the bedside table, with a look at Seth he knew what she wanted and so he climbed off the bed, walked out of the room and returned in his human form and dressed.
She had moved so that she was laying down under the blanket and he walked over to the bed, climbing under the blanket and facing her, like the night before Hermione raised her hand and he brought his up, lacing his fingers through hers and he saw her smile.
"Your turn, tell me about your shape-shifting."
He smiled at her before he answered, giving her a brief explanation of The Tribes legends, stating that Billy Black told them better, he told her about the bloodlines of Black, Uley and Ateara and he told her about the process of going through the change, the symptoms and what it felt like being a wolf.
"So," Hermione spoke after he finished his explanation, "let's see if I've got this right, as a shape-shifter you have enhanced senses: sight, smell and hearing, you all have accelerated healing, super speed and strength to put you on par with vampires, as well as a temperature of one hundred and eight degrees, a monstrous appetite and the ability to communicate with each other when you're in wolf form. You grew remarkably in a short amount of time as well putting on muscle, making you sixteen, but, at the physical peak of a twenty-four year old," he nodded with a grin. "Sam, he's also imprinted, on Emily, your cousin. Leah was Sam's girlfriend until he broke up with her and then imprinted. Sam's the Alpha and was the first to phase, as the Alpha he has the ability to order you to do something and you have no way to stop yourself from carrying out his orders, thankfully he never uses this ability, except for once or twice."
"Yes, to stop Jacob from blabbing to his friend about the secrets of our Tribe."
"Next to phase was Jared, he's the Beta of the pack. He's imprinted too and on a girl called Kim, he's the jokester of the pack. Despite you all having enhanced senses, Jared's eye sight is the best of the pack," he nodded. "Next to phase was Paul, he's the most volatile of the pack, he has trouble controlling his anger and is usually the first to want to kill a vampire," he nodded. "Next to phase was Embry, now this has caused problems in the pack because his mother originates from a different Tribe and when she moved here she was pregnant. Because he's a shifter it means that he has the blood of either a Black, Ateara or Uley, given the circumstances it means that someone has a half-brother and the father of said son had an affair, whilst they were happily married at the time, or it was Sam's father who left when he was still a child," he nodded. "Next was Jacob, now Jacob is the True Alpha of the pack because he's the direct descendent of Ephraim Black, yet he refused to take over from Sam. Aside from the regular abilities, he is also the second fastest, the strongest of the pack, he is the best fighter and since he is the True Alpha, he also has the ability to give out orders if he so wished," he nodded again, his smile getting wider by the minute.
"Right, next to phase was Quil, he's also imprinted, on Claire and she's two. You were next to phase, which happened in March, aside from your abilities, your hearing is the best, you can hear up to two and a half miles if you are able to focus your attention. Your sister, Leah, she phased about a week after you, aside from her abilities, she's the fastest of the pack. After Leah was Brady, followed by Collin."
"Perfect," he beamed. "The others didn't catch on so fast; it took them two months before they understood everything and even now I still think they're a little confused on some things."
"You're forgetting I'm a magical being too." she chuckled at him, "I know things that you wouldn't dream of existing or knowing."
"Like what?" he asked intrigued.
"I know how to fly a broom, I hate it but I know how to do it. I've travelled back in time, it's possible but we can't travel forward in time. I've been to a death day party, it's basically the anniversary party of a ghost's death, I've faced dark creatures, such as dementors, werewolves, vampires, acromantulas, trolls, ogres and giants. I've rode on the back of a dragon, and it was terrifying, never doing that again," she promised and he laughed at her. "I've rode on the back of a hippogriff and a thestral..."
"What?" he asked confused.
"A hippogriff is half horse, half eagle and they're very prideful creatures, they can be gentle if they are given the correct care and handling, but they can also be dangerous so you have to be careful around them. If you insult one, it'll likely kill you. A thestral is kind of like the black skeleton of a winged horse, only they are invisible. Only those that have witnessed death can see them, they're gentle creatures by nature but those that can see them are afraid of them since they are an omen of death," she rolled her eyes.
"The Weasleys, tell me about them."
A smile pulled at her mouth. "Molly Weasley, she has a wicked temper on her, all of her children are afraid of her and her wooden spoon, regardless of age. She's an amazing cook, welcomes anyone into her home with a smile and a hug, but she's stubborn, she doesn't take no for an answer and she doesn't know when to back off. She's been expecting Ronald and I to marry since the day I met her," she sighed. "It's why she won't leave me alone and is trying to force this marriage on me. Arthur Weasley, he's a kind and curious man, he loves anything Muggle, obsessed with it really, he once asked Harry what the purpose of a rubber duck is," he snorted. "I'm being serious, then he proceeded to go on a rant about velcro, window screen wipers and bubble bath," he burst out laughing. "I don't think there's a mean bone in his body, he's always treated me as if I were his daughter which was nice, given that my relationship between my parents was strained since finding out I was a witch. It was difficult on them, they couldn't possibly comprehend the world that I belonged to and so they didn't try, usually just ignoring it," she shrugged. "Anyway, Bill, he's a Curse Breaker, his job is to work on buildings and objects that have dark protective wards around them or dark magic. It's a highly respected field given the danger it could serve to him, one wrong move and he could be dead. He once spent a year in Egypt working on the pyramids. He's intelligent and kind. He married Fleur, the French witch from the Triwizard Tournament about two years ago, she's also a Curse Breaker, though now that she's pregnant she'll have to stop doing that until after the baby's born.
Charlie, as you know he's a dragon tamer, working on breeding and rehabilitating dragons. A lot of people are intimidated by him, he's well built and covered in tattoos and scars, hazards of the job, but he's actually really sweet, he's the first to wipe your tears away or hug you if you're upset, he's like a walking, talking teddy bear," he chuckled at her. "Percy, he's got a broom shoved up his backside," he snorted. "A real stickler for the rules, he works for The Ministry of Magic, the Junior Assistant to The Minister, I don't think I've ever seen him crack a smile.
You already know about the twins, Fred and George. Ingenious, mischievous pranksters, they can make anyone laugh and can defuse the tension in any room, regardless of the happenings, they could probably have your pack and vampires in the same room, you'd be laughing so much that you'd forget vampires were present. They're incredibly generous and kind; they're the first to defend me, besides from Harry of course. They offered up their home to me without a second thought and they took care of me when I needed it.
Ron, I'm not going to even go into detail about him, finally there's Ginny. Her temper is terrifying and she has all her brothers wrapped around her little finger, what with being the youngest and the only girl. She's scarily observant and insightful, you can't get anything past her and she's athletic, pushy, but understanding. That just leaves Harry, he's my best friend, my little brother really, together we've been through more than I ever thought possible, he defended me when others thought it'd be funny to make fun of me for my academic achievements or my blood or hair, I could go on all day. And Harry, I was by his side for everything, my faith in him never faltered, when everyone else had given up on him, I was still there helping him through it, helping him to see that he had a future he needed to fight for," she trailed off and it went quiet.
She sighed.
"I'm tired," she muttered.
"Go to sleep."
"Are you staying?" she mumbled, he smiled at the familiar conversation.
"Always," he promised, making her smile. He shifted onto his back and she went willingly to him, wrapping herself around him and sighing.
"You're sure you're staying?"
"Always, I'd follow you to the end of the world."
"You'd have to find me first," she spoke and he laughed, like he had the night before.
"I'd always find you, I have my ways."
"That's good to hear, I've become rather fond of you, even if it's only because of my dreams and your presence keeping me safe and happy," he beamed at the extra word she added, it was simple but very meaningful to him.